Heroes of Our Time
by Commander of Justice
Summary: Into the pitch black and through the pouring rain I run. I'm panting. My lungs are burning as I try to suck in a much needed breath and there's a sharp pain in my side from the exertion I'm forcing myself to endure. I won't slow down, however. I can't. If I do, he will catch me.
1. Vocare Ad Regnum

_**Hey everyone! So, this is the first work I have posted in quite a while. I was playing legend Zelda: Ocarina of Time not to long ago and the idea for this story wouldn't go away, haha.**_

 _ **There isn't a specific game that I follow in this story. There will be aspects of Ocarina of Time, Twilight Princess, and possibly Breath of the Wild (Not sure yet because I've only seen a few gameplay videos on YouTube and haven't played it myself yet), as well as some original ideas to fit in with the story.**_

 _ **I haven't decided on a regular posting schedule yet, so things are going to be a little irregular. Just be patient :) Hopefully you guys like it!**_

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 _Into the pitch black and through the pouring rain I run. I'm panting. My lungs are burning as I try to suck in a much needed breath and there's a sharp pain in my side from the exertion I'm forcing myself to endure. I won't allow down, however. I_ can't _. If I do, he will catch me. Up ahead I can start to see some form of light and when I squint I can make out torches, a crack of lightning highlighting the closed gate to Castle Town. My beacon to safety. I want to shout out encouragement to my sister, seeing a flash of orange in my peripheral vision bend over and pant to catch her breath, but I can't catch my own long enough to form coherent words and if I could, turning my head to look at her would only slow us both down. Instead, I grab her arm and yank her forward to keep her moving. The wall encasing Castle Town is more prominent as I sprint towards it. As if it knows the two of us are approaching, the drawbridge gate begins to lower and by the grace of the goddesses I will myself to run even faster._

" _**PAIGE!**_ " _I screamed and dropped to the sopping mix of mud and grass, covering my ears as a voice bellowed my name. It was almost like it was coming from the heavens with the way it thundered through my head and echoed around me. Somehow over the ringing in my ears and the thunder of the storm, I can heart a horse galloping towards me, quickly catching up. Panting—or maybe hyperventilating at this point—I force myself back to my feet._

" _C'mon. We're almost there." I didn't hear my sister's response, but it didn't really matter because there was another Earth-shaking clap of thunder that would have drowned her out. Sucking in a ragged breath, I began to run yet again to the drawbridge, which was now fully lowered. As some as I stepped on to the steel-enforced wooden bridge, an object whistled through the air, coming from the darkness in front of me. I could hear a maniacal laugh from both in front and behind me as the object pierced my chest through my deteriorated armor. An arrow. One of my sister's arrows… I didn't have time to try and make sense of what just happened. My body no longer was under my control as I dropped to my knees, my vision already failing me as I fell forward into wet wood and bitter steel. The arrow lodged itself further into me, causing me to let out a bloodcurdling scream as the spearhead agonizingly pushed until it exited out through my back._

" _**PAIGE!**_ "

 _My eyes snapped open at the booming shout of my name. So I wasn't dead after all. The arrow was still speared through my body and a whimper of pain escaped my lips as I weakly began to push myself up. I made is as far as sitting on my knees before I spotted something on the floor beneath me. A golden triangle was painted on the floor. There was another one to my left and one painted on top of the points. Three triangles to make a bigger one. It looked familiar; I'd probably seen it around Castle Town before, but I have no idea what it's called other than the Royal Family's Seal. Oh, well. I had bigger concerns at the moment. Sucking in a breath to brace myself, I tried to reach behind my back in a pathetic attempt to break of the Arrowhead so I could remove the damn stick from my chest. No such luck. There was a loud booming sound, like an explosion, and the floor quaked around me and I ended up falling over to my side from the force of being rocked around. Parts of the wall in front of me began to crumble until another wall way showing. My eyes widened. There was writing on the newly exposed wall, dripping red in contrast to it's marble white background._

Vocare ad regnum _. I had no idea what that meant, but I didn't get a chance to figure it out. My vision was beginning to fade again and my body was losing what little strength it had left as my blood continued to pool over the yellow paint off the triangle I was in…_

" _**PAIGE!...**_ " _  
_  
"Paige! Paige, wake up!" My eyes snapped open and I screamed, bolting up into a sitting position while one hand flew to my chest. My chest with an absent arrow. And yet, I still felt as though it was still sticking through me. I had tunnel vision, unable to see anything except that tattered blanket that was covering my feet and I was hyperventilating to desperately catch my breath. I jumped when something touched my shoulder. "Hey…" A gentle voice gripped through my panicked haze and my head was slowly turned do that I was facing my sister. I blinked a few times, trying to clear my tunnel vision and focus. "You're safe. It's jus' me."

"B-Becky?" I whimpered out softly. She smiled faintly and nodded while gently tucking some of my damp hair—from either the cold sweat my nightmare caused or the actual sweat the warm weather caused is beyond me—behind my ear. Her touch was comforting, so I closed my eyes and tried to focus on that. Becky shifted so that she sat on my bed with me, wrapping her and around me and holding me close to her before continuing to ring her fingers through my hair. We say like that for a while. Long enough for the pounding in my chest to go away. When I opened my eyes, I glanced up at Becky and was greeted with Becky's concerned frown.

"They're getting worse." It wasn't a question.

"I know." I lifted my hand to wipe away a bead of sweat that told down my cheek. Becky released a sigh when I didn't divulge any information.

"Maybe if you—"

"No." My time was sharper than I intended, but talking about it wasn't going to make me feel better. Becky was unfazed, instead holding her hands up in surrender. Unfortunately, she was used to my outbursts by now. This wasn't the first time that I've had a nightmare like this. This time I sighed. Still covering the spot of my chest where the fictional arrow had shish kababed me, I closed my eyes again and fell back onto my pillow. It was like I just collapsed into a pile of nails. Pain sit through my body from the apt in my back where the air had pierced through in my dream. "Fuck!" I yelled out, squeezing my eyes shut as I rolled to my side while biting my lip to fight back pained sounds.

"Paige—"

"What in the name of Hyrule are you two doing in here?" I vaguely registered the voice of Becky's and my adoptive mother, Stephanie, as she entered our room.

"I have no idea. She won't tell me what's wrong." Becky tried to explain. Mother must have motioned for Becky to move because she stood up and I could almost feel Mother's presence looming above me.

"Paige. Look at me." I shook my head, gasping out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. "Paige." I didn't move. Mother sighed. "Rebecca, what is going on with your sister?"

"I told ya! I haven't the slightest." Becky replied defensively. "She had a nightmare and she had been actin' strange since. Maybe she's feeling something tha' happened in her dream?" Mother scoffed.

"Don't be ridiculous, Rebecca. You can't feel pain in dreams." Well, this was certainly news to me.

"It's jus' a bruise. On my back." I lied when the pain began to subside. I knew Becky want going to fall for it, but Mother wasn't going to inspect me for bruises. She'd be none the wiser. "I was messing around with some of the boys yesterday and I got hurt. No big deal." My eyes were still shut, but I knew Mother was rolling her eyes in disapproval.

"Quit your screaming then. I thought someone was dying in here." Oh, the irony in that comment. "Both of you get dressed. I have some errands for you to run today."

"Yes, Mother." Becky and I replied simultaneously. There was silence until the door closed.

"You are such a liar." Becky deadpanned as I found the energy to sit up and stand.

"It got Mother off our back, didn't it?" Becky shook her head.

"She could probably help you, Paige. She is our mother, after has gone on for far too long." I doubted that. Mother was more of the tough love parent. "At least tell me what the dream was about. You know I'll do anything to help you." Becky continued when I didn't respond. I fought back a groan of annoyance.

"I'll explain later. Let's jus' get these errands done for Mother." I said, cringing as I pushed myself back up so that I was sitting.

A new day, but with the same old shit. Today was going to be a very long one, I knew it.

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 _ **I apologize for typos. I type everything on my phone, and I don't always catch them.**_

 _ **Ideas, comments, kudos, and the like are all welcome and appreciated. Until next time!**_

 _ **-CJ**_


	2. Messenger

_**Hey! So, this got more hits than I thought it would! This chapter is slightly shorter than the last one, but I'm going to try and make the next one a little longer to make up for it. The first few chapters are going to be more of a slow buildup to everything, anyway, so just bare with me!**_

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Whoever tells you that going to the Castle Town marketplace is fun is straight up lying right to your face. It's loud. It's crowded. People let their obnoxious children run wild. It's just a flat out mess. My attention was torn from the parchment Mother gave Becky and I when a kid and his friends ran into me and about plowed me over. Case and point. I stumbled as I tried to maintain my balance and Becky had the nerve to laugh as she grabbed my arm to steady me. Huffing out a breath of frustration, I looked at the list again for at least the sixth time now. I raised a brow at some of the items Mother had on the slip of parchment.

"Bex, I don't know where to even _begin_ looking for half of these things." Becky shifted closer to my side to both avoid a man carrying a large box and to try and look over my shoulder—a task that was rather difficult for her given that I am taller than she is. Usually, I would tease her about the height difference, but I just wanted to get the hell out of here, so I handed her the list.

"Let's see… Spring water. Doable. I have a friend tha' can sell us some. It doesn't say tha' it needs to be hot, so we can get it any time." I nodded, keeping my eyes forward to scan the crowd. Becky wasn't paying attention to where she was going, so I had to keep an eye open and pull her aside before she ran into someone, or vice versa. "Zora scales?" That made me look perplexingly over at my sister then.

"Do I even want to know why Mother requires Zora scales?" Becky shook her head.

"Your guess is as good as mine, kid." I rolled my eyes. Why she calls me 'kid' when I'm only a year younger than her—seventeen to her eighteen—is beyond me. Becky looked back at the list again. "Keese wings? The bloody hell is a Keese?!" I made a face of disgust. I didn't know either, but it didn't sound appetizing.

"Remind me not to eat tonight if this is supposed to be Mother's grocery list." I deadpanned. Eventually, we came to the conclusion that it would be best if we split up to look for everything. Becky divided the list and the money we had in half, gave me a half hug, and walked off. I didn't exactly want to be left to my own devices in a crowded area, but I walked off in a different direction as Becky once I saw her dark red hair disappear in the horde of people. Eyeing my half of the list, I let out a quiet sigh of relief upon seeing some actual food ingredients. Thank goddess. From the looks of it, we're having Hylian Trout for tonight. Better than Zora scales and Keese wings, at least.

I decided to mill around for a while. I wasn't particularly in a rush to get back to our cramped little space in rundown building that we called home. Mother has never been the most affectionate, but lately she's been acting like a straight up bitch. Don't get me wrong. I love her. I really do. She'll always have a place in my heart because she took Becky and I in as children when no one else would, but something was seriously off with her and I just didn't want to deal with it at the moment. Strolling through Castle Town to look at some stands and mini shops, I tried to find things that would resemble the bizarre items on Mother's list. I didn't have much luck, probably because I had no idea what exactly I was supposed to be looking for. After about a half hour or so, I was ready to give up and sneak off to Malenko's Tavern. Becky would know where to look if she couldn't find me. I started towards the central fountain so I could head towards the alley where Malenko's was hidden away, but as I began to go around the fountain someone roughly shouldered past me. A spasm of pain shot through my chest and I had to fight back any pained sounds that might have otherwise escaped. I immediately dropped to sit on the edge of the fountain, bringing one arm up to cover my mouth while the hand of the other gripped the black fabric of my tunic and the dark grey shirt underneath it, over the spot where I had been stuck by the arrow in my dream. This shouldn't be happening, apparently. Mother said no one feels pain in a dream, let alone after they wake up. So why is this happening? Another spasm of pain sent images of my nightmare flashing before my closed eyes. The storm. Running to what I thought was safety. The arrow piercing through my body. I tried to slow my breathing in order to break through the haze before I went into another panic attack. It worked for a bit, the pain very slowly fading away. Then I am suddenly gasping for air when those words filled my mind's eye.

 _Vocare Ad Regnum._

What the hell did that even mean? I was brought out of my thoughts when I heard some voices. I forced my eyes open and, thankfully, my vision cleared so that I could see properly. In front of me was the kid from earlier, the one that ran into me and caused Becky to laugh as she helped me regain my balance. Apparently, he and his little friends saw me collapse down onto the fountain and had been asking if I was alright for a few moments. I may have to retract my statement about all the children here being obnoxious. Taking a shaky deep breath and somehow controlling my trembling body, I managed to convince the small group of kids that I was fine. That seem to appease the boy's friends because they scampered off to play elsewhere. The boy remained, and it was then I realized he was holding his hand out to me.

"You dropped this." It was my half of Mother's list. I thanked the boy as I took it back. As he ran off to rejoin his friends, another slip of parchment feel to the ground from my hand. Lifting an eyebrow curiously, I leaning forward carefully and picked it back up to unfold it. I was ready to call the boy back before I caught glimpse of the handwriting. I probably grinned like an idiot.

' _Dean is on duty tonight. Meet me at Malenko's after dinner? -CF'_

Now I know I was grinning like an idiot. I knew just by the neat, fancy penmanship that it was Charlotte. I also knew that it had to have been Dean who just shouldered past me. Here's the thing: Charlotte is the Crown Princess of Hyrule. She's also my girlfriend. Technically speaking, we are not supposed to be together because she's not supposed to leave the Palace without a royal escort on official business or some bullshit like that. Charlotte has three trusted guards, at least one with her at all times. Roman, Seth, and Dean. Half-brothers, if I recall. Charlotte calls them The Shield for obvious reasons. According to the Princess, Roman and Seth are more strict and harder to get away from. Dean is the cool one. He actually _helps_ Charlotte sneak out to see me. He delivers messages to me from Charlotte when she can't get away. An unofficial messenger, if you will. I've met him a couple of times because he never leaves the vicinity. He has to protect the Princess after all. That being said, most of our interactions consist of him bowling me over and running into the crowd, leaving me with a huge ass bruise and a note from my girlfriend. Neither of us mind. Dean wants Charlotte to be happy and I can deal with a bruise or two. After all, I've been in worse pain.

I stood from my seat on the fountain and winced, holding that spot of my chest yet again. I already promised Becky I would open up and tell her that basis of my nightmares. Perhaps confiding in Charlotte as well would be a good idea.

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 **LIL Slim** _ **: Thanks for the suggestion of Google Docs! It helped a lot. Now it's just a matter of resting through and catching the autocorrect changes, lol!**_

 _ **Thanks to everyone else who reviewed. Hoped you liked it :)**_

 _ **Ideas, comments, and the like are all welcome and appreciated. Until next time!**_

 _ **-CJ**_


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